What began as a test 16 years ago is a going – one might even say, booming – concern today, thanks to a team of online educators and the province that, they say, has been instrumental to their institution’s success.

The institution is the University of Fredericton, which offers innovative certificates and accredited degree programs, and the province is New Brunswick, whose enthusiastic work ethic has helped lay the cornerstone of UFred’s appeal.

Founded in 2005, its first cohort of students arrived in 2007 amid a handful of employees. Now, the university boasts 70 staff – 99 per cent of whom are located in New Brunswick – and more than 50 faculty situated throughout North America. It has nearly 6,900 students across its School of Business and School of Occupational Health and Safety; total alumni for the two schools is more than 7,100.

Says Co-Founder and Chair of the Board Kjetil Sandermoen: “When we first thought of building a fully-virtual university, the concept was relatively unheard of. But after meeting the people who were driving this new model, we knew that New Brunswick was where we needed to be.”

One of those people was Don Roy, Co-Founder and President. “We have found that online learning is the most beneficial type for mid-career professionals who want to advance their careers with high-quality education,” he says. “New Brunswick professionals were ready and willing. As a result, we’ve built an organization that is exporting provincial values and education globally.”

And there appears to be no stopping them. UFred offers MBAs, Executive MBAs (EMBA) and programs in occupational health and safety. Faculty members are thought leaders in executive management. Says Roy: “We’ve sustained our trajectory through COVID, adding more jobs in Fredericton to support the demand. We’re committed to growing in New Brunswick.”

With new degrees under development, it’s safe to say UFred is one experiment that passed the test with flying colours. •